The Astros’ loss at starting shortstop will be their gain in the 2012 draft. Clint Barmes has agreed to a two-year, $10.5 million deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The departure of Barmes, a Type B free agent, will entitle the Astros to a supplementary pick at the end of the first round next June. Barmes, […]
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The Astros officially begin a new era on Tuesday with the transfer of team ownership from Drayton McLane to Jim Crane. Crane has made it abundantly clear that he will not be a quick-fix, spend-to-make-a-splash owner. He vows to build the organization through the draft and player development, so the state of the minor-league system […]
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The quest of Astros first baseman Brett Wallace to improve his stock ran into a road block in the Dominican Winter League. Escogido general manager Moises Alou released Wallace earlier this week, according to Listin Diario, a Santo Domingo newspaper. Wallace played in 20 games, batting .173 (9-for-52) with two home runs and nine RBIs […]
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The Astros firmed up their 40-man roster Friday by adding righthanded pitcher Paul Clemens, who arrived in the trade that sent Michael Bourn to the Atlanta Braves. General manager Ed Wade also signed Kingwood native Lance Pendleton to a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to big-league camp next spring. Friday night is the deadline […]
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Jim Crane may be new to the business of owning a baseball team but doesn’t need on-the-job-training to understand the best way to a fan’s heart is by winning. With the Astros coming off the worst season in franchise history, with a winning season nowhere on the foreseeable horizon, Crane is seeking a quicker way […]
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When first getting your hands on a 106-loss team with dwindling attendance and revenues, change waits for nothing. Well, except the final closure on the paperwork and a perhaps inconveniently timed Thanksgiving looming. Change was the message – equal parts stated and implied – back in Houston just hours after the sale of the Astros […]
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Day 1 of the Astros’ need for a designated hitter beyond six or nine interleague games a year won’t be until April 5, 2013 or some day around there. So they’re going to take their time in compensating for the fundamental difference between their National League past and present and their American League future. “Obviously, […]
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As Astros fans take their first looks over the 110-year-old divide between the two major leagues that long predates them and their ballclub, anger over what will likely be a historic switch Thursday to the American League has come to the forefront.
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